Social Security public hours to be reduced by 30 minutes starting Aug. 15

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Social Security Administration announced Friday that congressional budget cuts have forced offices nationwide to reduce face-to-face service hours on weekdays by 30 minutes starting Aug. 15.

The cuts affect all eight Social Security offices in Cuyahoga County, which will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday instead of until 4 p.m.

Employees will continue to work eight hours, said Brandon P. Smith, a spokesman for the Social Security Administration. But 30 fewer minutes away from public contact will allow them to complete paperwork, he said.

The agency has had problems in the past completing disability claims, which meant employees had to work overtime.

Some of those problems started in 1996 when a change to the Social Security Act denied benefits to those who filed a claim based on a drug-addiction or alcoholism-based disability. Anyone with a dual diagnosis, either physical or mental, had to prove that his or her disability would still exist without drug or alcohol abuse.

It created a backlog for agency workers trying to disentangle the disability benefit problems.

Smith said employees have worked overtime on Saturdays to catch up on paperwork. The Saturday overtime will end immediately, said Doug Nguyen, a deputy regional director in Chicago.

Smith said Congress provided the Social Security Administration with nearly $1 billion less than President Barack Obama requested for the budget this fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. He said the reduced funding makes it impossible for the agency to provide the amount of overtime needed to handle service to the public.

Social Security Commissioner Michael J. Astrue made his concern with overtime issues clear in a news release.

"While the agency will continue to work their regular hours," Astrue said, "this shorter public window will allow us to complete face-to-face service with the visiting public without incurring the cost of overtime for our employees."

Smith said most Social Security services do not require a visit to an office, and the reduced hours should not hamper public service.

He said citizens can go online at www.socialsecurity.gov or can call toll-free at 1-800-772-1212 to apply for benefits, sign up for direct deposit, replace a Medicare card, obtain a proof of income letter or inform the agency of a change of address or telephone number.

"Our goals have not changed," Smith said. "We want to pay the right person the right check at the right time."

Follow Us

cleveland.com is powered by Plain Dealer Publishing Co. and Northeast Ohio Media Group. All rights reserved (About Us).The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Northeast Ohio Media Group LLC.